


call yourself a Spider

by Rivran



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dialogue Heavy, FRIDAY is the queen of sass and i love her, Gen, Iron dad and Spider son, May Parker freaks out, Peter Parker Whump, Rated teen for language, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony is a good dad, Tony shows his love by giving peter food, Trans Peter Parker, also this author is Very Sorry for everything, honestly that’s the dream, i literally have no idea what i'm doing just fyi, like a lot of dialogue, like kind of, like that’s about it, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-02-15 23:27:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 15,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18679456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rivran/pseuds/Rivran
Summary: Trans!Peter au where Peter is closeted to everybody. Even May.There's a reason for that.Or, Peter Parker is ftm, May freaks out, and Tony Stark is everyone’s favorite irondad. Set in the same chronological order as canon, but takes a Lot of liberty with the actual length of time. (mostly because I can’t be assed to do the math properly - timelines are hard!)I apologize for any and all OOCness. This is my first real fic since approximately 2008, and I’m a bit rusty. Do I really think MCU May would act like this? No. Was it therapeutic as hell to write? Yes.Formerly titled Could Roses Bloom.





	1. Kate Parker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all! This is my first real fic I've ever posted, so sorry if I fuck it up. Also, I'm queer and pretty familiar with most things LGBT, but I am not ftm. If anything about my portrayal is wrong, let me know and I'll do my best to fix it. :)

Kate flopped backward onto her bed and cursed the universe. It had started yesterday - had it been yesterday? - with that stupid field trip and that freaky spider that just had to go and bite her. And now she felt like she was dying. Fever, dizziness, nausea...  _it would be easier to list what I don’t have,_  she thought bitterly.

She took a mental tally of the people she could complain to. May and Ben were both at work, and none of her school friends had her number. “Great,” she muttered out loud. “Alone. As per usual.” Another wave of nausea flowed over her again. She thanked her past self for choosing the room directly across from the bathroom. 

Kate ( _peter_ ) tried to avoid mirrors, generally. Especially not while she was sick - the glance she’d caught on the way to the toilet did nothing for her (his) mood. But she did stop on the way back out to check her( _him_ )self over. Her paler-than-normal face contrasted sharply with her long brown hair and black hoodie. The hoodie thankfully hid the parts of Kate’s ( _Peter’s!_ ) body she really hated. Which was most of it, to be honest. 

“God, am I pathetic,” she complained to the empty apartment. On an afterthought, she grabbed the trash can before going back to sulk in her bedroom. 

“Kate?” called Aunt May. Shit, shit, it was already 10:30? Kate ( _peterpeterpeter_ ) scrambled to hide the trash can. If May saw the bite, she would want to take her to the hospital, and they definitely couldn’t afford that bill. “You home?” 

“In here,” called Kate ( _Peter!!_ ) in a voice an octave higher than she ( _he_ ) wished it was. 

May entered the room about four seconds after the can had stopped  wobbling under the desk. “Hey, babygirl, sorry I’m home so late. Got caught up at work, you know the drill.”

”Yeah,” said Kate. “It’s fine, really, May.”

”I know, I know, you’re fifteen and you can take care of yourself. But I still feel bad.”

”Really, I don’t mind. Promise. I’m totally fine.”

May looked down at her niece and smiled. “If you insist. Now get some sleep, ok?” She closed the door. 

Kate sighed and leaned back against the wall. Her ( _his_ ) aunt meant well, but she treated her niece (her _nephew_ ) like a little kid way too often. Suddenly, a wave of exhaustion washed over her ( _him_ ). She checked the alarm clock to ensure it was set for 5:45 and fell immediately asleep. 

5:45 came too soon. Kate ( _no, Peter_ ) jerked awake at the sound of the alarm. It seemed twice as loud as it had been the day before. “Must be going crazy,” she grumbled. She got ready for school, ensuring her ( _his_ ) hoodie covered her chest and hips. Just like the average day. Perfectly normal. 

She barely noticed the lights had been off the whole time. And she definitely didn’t think about how her glasses only made her vision worse.

The school building seemed unusually cold. Nothing properly eventful happened all day, but Kate was used to that. _At least I don’t get bullied_ , she supposed. _Then it would be so much worse_. She ( _he_!) preferred not to dwell on things like that. After all, she would soon learn how much worse it could get  

When she got home, she leaned against the wall to drop her stuff. May always got on her ( _his his his_ ) case about it, but they both knew it wasn’t really that big of a deal. She laughed to herself, then realized that her hand was still on the wall where she’d put it. And it would not move. 

She had tried everything she could think of to pry it off. None of it worked. She threw her head against the wall and let out a loud groan. _Stupid, stupid, stupid, Kate!_ shouted her inner voice.

Then another voice piped up, _You’re not stupid. And your name is Peter._  

She was about ten seconds from giving up and cutting up the drywall when her hand miraculously released the plaster. She stared at it, wondering for a few brief moments. 

 _No. I have to focus. I have to figure out what’s different about me_ , she admonished herself. “And while I’m at it, I might sort out that whole Peter business,” she mumbled under her breath. 

She only knows one way of organizing her ( _his_ ) thoughts that actually works. 

1\. Loud alarm clock?

2\. No lights or glasses this morning. 

3\. Wall sticking? 

4\. Freezing in class. Normally overheating. 

Kate ( _it’s Peter_ ) frowned at the length of the list. Not much to go on there. 

She ( _he_ ) flipped her ( _his_ ) notebook to a new page. 

1\. Where’s “Peter” coming from?

2\. Why does everyone else like their curves? I hate them!!

3. 

She frowned. Nothing more would come to her mind. His mind? 

 _Could I be a him_? 

 

The realization crashed into her -no, him - like a ton of bricks. 

“Oh shit,” he breathed. “It all stacks up, doesn’t it?”

The weight of Peter’s newfound identity and her - _his_ \- freaky new powers was a lot for his tired brain to handle. He threw himself on the bed, not caring that he was in his street clothes and shoes. 

“Honestly, Kate,” he could hear May saying kindly. “You’ll tear up your sheets.” 

Peter sat bolt upright. May. What would she think? And Ben? This - this was too much, he decided, and fell straight asleep on his bed.  

Half an hour later, his stomach growled loud enough for him to wake up. “I just ate lunch like three hours ago. You shouldn’t be this empty,” he said to his protesting stomach. “It’s Thursday. We can eat tomorrow morning for free.” More growling followed. Peter resigned himself to yet another snack stash raid. 

One more for the oddity list.

5. Metabolism?

After borrowing some old protein bars in the back of the drawer, he ( _man, that’s still weird_ ) sat down to do some good old fashioned Googling. A line from an old movie kept running through his head. “Spiders. Why’d it have to be spiders?” he imitated in his best shitty British accent. 

He found a new page in the notebook and scribbled “SUPERPOWERS?” in large letters across the top. The basic character started to take form. A spider-themed hero with weird powers that preferred looking out for the little guys. _Perfect_. He was just missing one tiny detail - the name. 

The Spider? _No, too cryptic_. 

Spider-Kid? _No, I’m not four years old._

Black Widow? _Already taken._

An idea came into Peter’s head. He wasn’t sure exactly how he felt about it, but it got written down alongside all the others anyway. 

 _Spider-Man_. 

I like it. 


	2. Peter Parker

Peter rifled through the pages of his chem textbook. Scanning the pages, he found the formula he'd been looking at earlier. He jotted it down on his Spider-Man page from the day after the bite. _Three days later and I still can't believe any of this is real_ , he thought. _What are the odds of some kid suddenly gaining superpowers_ and _knowing how to build all this equipment?_ He shook the doubts from his mind and turned back to his desk. The workspace was usually covered in random papers and broken pens, but Peter had cleared it just for this. Two small bracelets and his old chemistry set lay waiting on the surface. With the leftover chemicals in his kit and a couple he had borrowed from school, there would be just enough to test out Peter's hypothesis. If Spider-Man was actually going to happen, he was going to need some tools. After all, what sort of spider doesn't make webs? 

He unconsciously held his breath as he tipped the fluid into the bracelet's reservoir. The cover slid shut with a _click_ and his web-shooter was ready for action. He fastened the bracelet around his wrist. 

 _Thwip_!

Peter burst out laughing as the little device actually worked. The web-fluid had solidified, just as he hoped it would, and formed actual webs. He filled the other bracelet with the leftover fluid and strapped it to his other hand. He grabbed the old red hoodie from under his bed and threw it on. The spider symbol on the front was just black duct tape, but he hoped nobody would notice. He was halfway to the front door of his apartment when two things popped into his mind: one, he had a identity to keep secret, and two, that secret identity was female. That thought deflated his confidence like a popped balloon. _Nobody's gonna take me seriously as Spider-_ Man _if I have hips wider than the bridge_ , he thought. 

He ran back into his room and started digging through the piles of old clothes on his closet floor. Somewhere in those piles, there had to be something he could use to disguise his body. He found blue sweatpants that had once belonged to Ben and an old, stretched-out pair of bike shorts. _They'll have to do_ , he decided. 

Five minutes later, the freshly minted Spider-Man was swinging above the streets of Queens. It was only a little after 8, according to one of the watches he had turned into a web-shooter. The streets were loud and busy, but it looked like nobody had noticed Peter overhead. That was fine with him, he decided. "Maybe my first night out should be just a practice run," he said to the empty air around him. "I might as well get a... little..." He trailed off as something in the back of his skull was buzzing. What was happening?

"Help! Anybody, please, somebody help me!" 

Crime was happening, answered Peter's buzzing senses. He followed the echo and dropped into a narrow alleyway. A man was pointing a gun with one hand and pinning a person with the other. 

"You hear me? Understand? You scream again and I'll kill you," said the man with the gun. 

"What do you want?" whispered the woman against the wall. "I have money. Whatever you want. Just - just don't shoot." 

"Oh, you know what I want, sweetheart." He pressed his hand more forcefully on her chest. "And I'm gonna get it, no matter what you -"

"Hey!" yelled Peter in his best stopping-crime voice. "You let her go!"

"Sure, weirdo, that's gonna happen," he scoffed. 

"You're right, it is." Peter shot a burst of webs at the gun and stuck it to the wall behind the man. Before the mugger could react, Peter webbed him to the opposite wall. 

"Hey, miss, I mean ma'am, I mean - are you okay?" Peter reached out a hand to the lady he'd saved. 

"Fine," she responded casually, as if being saved by a mysterious spider-person was an everyday occurrence for her. "Who are you, kid?"

"I'm Spider-Man, ma'am." Peter launched a web at the nearest roof. "Call the police and tell them about what happened, please? Have a nice night!" 

The woman stared up at the spot where the kid had disappeared over the edge. She opened her purse and took out her phone. "Yeah, hey, you're never gonna believe what just happened to me," she said. "No, I'm perfectly fine. Hey, you hear anything about a spider person running around in Queens? Really, nothing? 'Cause there's some kid out here with some pretty crazy tech on him. Calls himself Spider-Man. Yeah, I know I just said he was a kid. He sounded like a ten-year-old and barely came up to my shoulder. Listen, I swear I'm not drunk, I'm just telling you what I saw!"

•••

Peter swung straight home after rescuing the woman. His adrenaline was still pumping when he landed on the fire escape outside his apartment. _I cannot believe I just did that_ , he thought for the fiftieth time since it happened. The window to his bedroom was still open from when he'd first left. Nobody was home. He breathed a sigh of relief and threw all his gear into a pile on the closet floor. His wrists were red and lightly bruised where the webs had wrapped around them. "Shit," he muttered. _How am I gonna explain these to May and Ben_? 

He decided it could wait until after dinner. The fridge only had yesterday's Chinese and the leftover pizza they'd made on Sunday. Food completely overtook his thoughts, as usual. What was unusual was the _amount_ of food he'd just eaten. Three pieces of pizza and all of his Chinese food - more than he ate in a full day. "One more for the list, huh, Peter?" 

Peter. Just imagining someone calling him Peter in real life freaked him out a little. _I can never tell anyone_ , he realized. _I would just panic and make it worse. I can only be Peter when I'm being Spider-Man_. On that depressing thought, he sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. Mindless reality shows always calmed his racing thoughts. Whoever had watched it last had left it on the local news station. Peter felt his blood run cold as he saw a blurry image of himself swinging along the skyline. "Man Found Glued To Wall, Woman Claims Spider-Man's Involvement," scrolled the text across the bottom of the screen.

"... is this mysterious vigilante? We can only hope to see more of this Spider-Man in the future. And now, Carlos with tomorrow's weather forecast."

Peter shut the TV off. 

 _May is gonna kill me_.


	3. Ned Leeds

Two months.

He had only had powers for two months and his life had already fallen apart. 

Peter couldn't block the memory from his mind. Time and time again, he saw Ben walking home. The mugging. The gun. Ben wasn't walking anymore. And Peter had done nothing to save him. 

He was Kate again, crying in May's arms as she held her close. "I know, I know," she whispered. 

"It's all my fault," sobbed Kate. "It's all my fault."

"Shh, baby, of course not," said May. "It's all going to be okay. I promise."

Kate didn't go to school the next day, or the day after that, or the three weeks after Ben's funeral. Three dead parents were too many for any kid to handle. Peter just wanted to stay in bed and pretend everything was normal. Without Ben, life had lost all its color. 

 _I was going to tell him soon_ , he thought. _He would've told me exactly what to do_. 

 _You know what he would say, if he knew,_ whispered the tiny voice in the back of his head _. Your name is Peter Benjamin Parker and you are Spider-Man and you could be doing so much good right now._ Peter sat up in his bed. The voice (his conscience? Spider sense?) was right. He was Spider-Man. Spider-Man can do anything. He forced himself out of bed and over to his closet. The Spider suit was still in a heap where he'd left it after - after that night with Ben. He put on the suit, taking an extra minute to remember those last moments. 

His return to Spider-Man helped with the pain, but not enough. Every time Peter closed his eyes, he saw Ben lying motionless on the ground. But if he was swinging around the city, he had to focus on the webs. Ben was still there, but not there every time he blinked. _Calm down, Peter, it's been almost a month since it happened_ , he chided himself. _Get over it already_. But the other part of Peter knew he wouldn't get over it. Not for a long time. Peter was snapped out of his reverie by shouts echoing off the buildings nearby. Inside the mask, Peter smiled. _Crime to fight. Just like old times_. 

* * *

Slowly, Peter adjusted to life without Ben. He went out as Spider-Man three times a week and did homework the other days. May worked late more often than ever. They had lost Ben's income, but still had bills to pay. Life sucked like that sometimes. At school, Kate kept her grades up and her head down. Peter always felt the worst at school. Constantly hearing "Miss Parker" and "Katherine" wore him down more than he liked to admit. Being Spider-Man did help, though, so Peter looked forward to those days. Almost as much as he looked forward to the end of the school day.  

"Hey! You forgot this," called a voice Peter didn't recognize. He shut the door to his locker and turned to face the mystery voice. A kid he barely recognized was holding his notebook. The one with all the Spider-Man info inside. _Shit_ , he thought, _he knows he knows he knows he knows he_ \- "Thanks," said Kate flatly. "Sorry, but do I, uh, know you?"

"Kind of," said the kid. "I'm Ned. Ned Leeds, we have bio and English together."

"Oh. Gotcha." Kate turned away, praying to just be able to leave, when -

"What, aren't you gonna tell me your name?"

Peter cursed his luck and turned around. "Katherine Parker." The look on the kid's face was so pathetic. Like he had expected them to be best friends right away. It was just sad enough to make Peter take pity on him. "But my friends call me Kate," he offered. 

"Nice to properly meet you, Kate," said Ned. "I knew I recognized you from somewhere. Mrs. Warren asked if anybody knew whose book it was, and I thought I saw you with it, so I skimmed through it to figure it out. You really shouldn't keep your locker combo in a notebook, it's not secure." He kept talking far past the point where Peter stopped listening. 

"Hello?"

Peter jumped. "Sorry. Zoned out. What did you say?"

"I just asked if you were hungry. I know this really good sandwich place right down the road from here, and no offense but you look starving," chatted Ned as if Peter had never ignored him in the first place. 

"Oh, um. Yeah, I am, but I don't have any cash on me right now. Sorry." He wasn't sure what he was apologizing for.

"It's okay, I have spare change. Come on, they fill up quick after the schools let out." Peter let himself be dragged along the pavement to the shop. The inside was full of the smell of fresh bread. Peter's stomach audibly growled. "Wow, you must be dying. Did you even eat lunch?" 

"No, I'm uh, fine, thanks." 

Ned looked at Kate. "You liar, you're starving."

"No, I -"

"Shut up and let me buy you a sandwich," laughed Ned. Later that night, Peter was back out as Spider-Man. He hated to admit it, but he _had_ been really hungry when Ned insisted on buying him food. If it wasn't for that sandwich, he would've been forced to cook again. _God knows that would have ended badly_. 

* * *

It had been four months since Uncle Ben, and Peter was on his way to healing. It felt like fighting crime as Spider-Man somehow made up for Ben's death. Four months and two days after, Ben occupied so much of Peter's mind that he barely registered a metallic noise behind him. As he landed atop an apartment complex, his spider sense tingled. He whipped around into a defensive crouch.

Peter’s jaw would have hit the ground if it wasn’t for the mask. Iron Man himself was there, hovering above the roof. “You’re Spider-Man, right?”

Peter nodded slowly. “That’s me,” he confirmed. He tried to control the tremor in his voice.

“Okay, kid, no need to be afraid of me. I’m not gonna hurt you.” He descended to the rooftop. Metal clanked as the armor retracted into itself. “I just have a couple questions for you. Where did you get those bracelets of yours?”

Peter was in awe that Tony Stark himself was talking to him. It took him a minute to register the question. “Oh, my web-shooters? I made them.”

“No way, kid. Those are higher tech than most smartphones.”

"I did, really!" 

"How?"

Peter started explaining as fast as he could. "First I took the firing mechanism out of a couple of my old Nerf guns and attached them to these bracelets. Then I..." He kept talking, but Stark shushed him. 

"Okay, okay, I believe you. Second question: what the hell are those webs made of?" Immediately,  Peter rattled off the name and formula of the chemical he used. "You some kind of kid genius or something?"

"No, I just, uh, I just really like science," he mumbled. 

"Sure."

"Uh, Mr. Stark? Why are you even talking to me? I'm like, a nobody, and you're Tony freakin' Stark!" 

"You're not exactly a nobody. Flinging yourself around the city like that? You're all over YouTube, did you know that?"

"Yeah, I did, but you never answered my question..?" Peter trailed off, hoping to get a real response.

Stark sighed. "Fine, kid, I'll tell you. You saved a pretty close friend of mine about six months ago and I've had FRIDAY keeping an eye on you since then. I mean, the car, with the bus? That was insane. I saw that, and I had to find out more." He stopped, considering his next sentence. "Look, it's obvious that you have potential. Some of the stunts you've pulled are unbelievable. But you have no training, no armor, and no equipment. It's only a matter of time before somebody shoots you before you get the chance to web their gun to the wall."

"Mr. Stark, if you're telling me to stop being Spider-Man, it's not gonna happen." Peter's voice was quiet, but carried a note of defiance. 

"Of course not," he assured. "Trust me, I'm the last person to be giving a lecture on responsibility. No, I'm offering you a deal. I'll teach you and build you a suit, if you help me out with something."

"Really?" exclaimed Peter. "Oh my god! Mr. Stark, I-i-i-" He paused to catch his breath. "Thank you," he finished. "I'd be honored."

"Thought so," he muttered. "Hey, I never got your name."

"Oh, um, I'm Peter. Peter Parker," he offered.

"Okay, kid, I'll be in contact." His suit reformed around him and took off. 

Peter swung home with so much excitement, he hardly noticed his surroundings. He took off the suit. _If I'm going to have a new suit, I'm gonna need somewhere better to hide it_ , he thought. _The ceiling tile will do_. He stuffed the bundle of clothes into the hole and replaced the tile. _Perfect_. 


	4. Tony Stark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for what I do to Peter in this chapter.

Peter's phone vibrated on his nightstand. There was one unread text from a number he didn't recognize.  _Hey kid. Be at Avengers Tower this Thursday at 4 pm. Take the middle elevator, 87th floor -tony_

Peter still couldn't believe he would be learning from Iron Man himself. He quickly typed out his reply.  _Sure thing mr stark!! Also how did you get my number?_   He hit send and got a response almost immediately.

_I know a guy. He has all the numbers. See you Thursday_

Peter actually laughed out loud at the insanity that had taken over his life. First spider powers, and now Tony Stark was going to teach him how to be a superhero. Suit designs flicked through his mind. Who knew what kind of crazy patterns it would have? Peter imagined himself zipping around the city in a fancy, streamlined, skintight outfit, just like a real superhero. _Now I understand why they’re all so tight. Wait, if_ mine _is tight, then everyone is going to know I’m not a man. Stupid, stupid, stupid_ , Peter admonished himself. In his excitement about Mr. Stark's offer, he had completely forgotten the whole 'being trans' part of his life. 

Explaining everything to a virtual stranger was only slightly better than explaining everything to May. Both ranked high on Peter’s list of fears. _I have to go anyway_ , Peter thought. _I can’t stay an amateur forever_. Thursday came too quickly for Peter’s liking. He put on his homemade mask and suit before webbing over to the tower. As instructed, he took the elevator in the center of the sprawling lobby. A female Irish voice spoke, startling him. 

“Greetings, Peter Parker. Which floor would you like to go to?”

“...87,” he said hesitantly.

“Floor 87,” she replied. The elevator ascended faster than Peter was used to. The doors opened. “Floor 87 - Mr. Stark’s personal lab.” The same voice was saying something to Mr. Stark. “Boss, Peter Parker is here.”

”Oh hey, you’re early,” he greeted. “I’m just finishing this up real quick.” Whatever was on his workspace looked extremely high tech. Peter walked further into the lab, in awe of everything he could see. "FRI, scan the kid for measurements, would you? Once you have it, execute render of file Spider_mk_01."

"Scanning," replied FRIDAY.

"Mr. Stark, this - this is insane," laughed Peter. "I can't believe this is real!"

“Well, it is, so better start believing. Also, here’s your face plate. It hasn’t been integrated with the rest of the mask yet, but that can come later, after FRI gets the render done." 

Peter held it up to his face. “Cool,” he said. 

“You know it works better if you take off your mask, right?”

He felt a lump growing in his throat. “I don’t think I can do that, Mr. Stark.” 

Stark laughed. “What, bad hair day or something?" Peter stayed silent. "Well, whatever it is, I guarantee you I’ve looked worse than  _oh shit_.” Peter had removed his mask mid-sentence. The terrified face of Kate Parker stared up at him. Long brown hair fell in neat curls over the spider emblem on the back of the suit. 

_"Peter?"_

“I think I’ll go now,” mumbled the kid. Before Tony could react, the elevator had already closed. 

“Fri?” 

“Yes, boss?” 

“What the hell was that?” 

“It appears you’ve scared him off, boss. I’ll recall the elevator.” 

A moment later, the doors opened. Peter, still unmasked, stood completely still inside the elevator. “What is going on?” asked Tony. Peter shook his head. “Don't want to talk about it, hm? You're gonna have to soon. I’m not gonna pretend like I know what just happened, but you're gonna help me figure it out.”

Peter mumbled something that sounded like “um crayon”.

”And I’m half deaf, so you have to speak up a little.”

“I’m trans!” Peter blurted. “That, a-and the bite, they both happened at the same time, so I realized I could call myself Spider-Man, and nobody could argue because of the mask, and my hoodie, and - and...” He took a shuddering breath. Tony was surprised to realize the kid was crying. 

“Hey, kid, don’t cry. It’s alright. Now I don’t understand a word you said, but whatever it is, it’s fine. Okay?” 

Peter pointed to himself, then gestured around his face. “Me. Transgender. That’s me. I-it means I was born a girl, but I’m not, obviously, but I’m not out to anyone yet because I’m a freak,” he whispered. 

“Whoa, wait a second. You’re not a - a freak. Where the hell did that even come from? You’re _the_ Spider-Man. Nothing will change that. Got it?” Tony looked at the kid’s face, hoping for a shift in body language. “I still don't understand.”

"I didn't think you would," whispered Peter. "Nobody does. Like I told you, I'm a freak. You know what people at school do to people like me?" He sounded angry now. "They beat 'em up. Toss 'em around, 'cause they have no friends to protect them!" Peter rose from the stool he'd occupied and started pacing. "Nobody ever does anything about it, either, because the only kids getting beat up are the weird ones. And you can't tell the teachers, or the admins, either. They won't do a damn thing because they all hate freaks like me!" 

A beat of silence passed. Peter realized that he'd been yelling, actually yelling, at Mr. Stark for something that didn't even matter to him. His stomach dropped like a stone. There was a look of utter disbelief on Tony's face. Peter worried that he was about to get kicked out of the lab when Tony said, "My god, kid. They don't - they don't do that to you, do they?"

"Not yet," mumbled Peter, staring at the floor. "When - if - somebody finds out, they will."

"Look at me, Pete." His voice carried a tone of pure steel. "If anybody ever throws you around like that, you break their noses without a second thought. Got it?" 

"I can't get in trouble for fighting, though. If I did, then they'd take away my scholarship, and God knows we can barely afford the textbooks as it is..." he trailed.

"Render complete," interrupted FRIDAY. "Where would you like me to save it?"

"Don't save it yet. Display on center table," Tony told her. The rendering appeared as a projection in the air. Peter forgot his anger for a moment and stared at the hologram. "Fancy, isn't it? Come look." Peter walked over and stared at the suit. "What do you think?"

"Mr. Stark? It's great, it really is, but it doesn't exactly look like, well, Spider- _Man_ ," said Peter. 

The suit was red and blue, covered in a web pattern, and quite curvy. "You know what, that's fair," agreed Tony. He pulled a virtual keyboard out of the work surface and typed in a few quick instructions. "FRI, fix the proportions." The projection disappeared, then reappeared a moment later. "Now, _that_ is a spider suit."

"Oh my god. It's amazing!" squealed Peter. "I mean, uh, it's awesome," he said in a lower voice. 

Stark just laughed. "FRIDAY, execute auto fab of file Spider_mk_01, including all modifications."

"Executing auto fab Spider-suit mark oh-one. Projected fabrication time: thirty-four minutes."

"Thanks, FRI." Peter's stomach growled loud enough for them both to hear it. "Damn, you must be starving. You got an enhanced metabolism or something?"

"I, uh, I actually don't know for sure," admitted Peter. "But I was just planning to eat when I got home, so it's fine."

"We do have half an hour to kill. Plus, you sound hungry and I am hungry, so food is happening either way. FRI, order two large pepperoni pizzas from wherever's fastest. Plus cheesy bread."

"On it, boss."

Eight minutes later, the elevator doors opened. Someone Peter didn't recognize was there with the pizzas. "Thanks, Joyce," Stark said before the doors closed again.

"Mr. Stark, thank you, but you really didn't have to feed me. I was going to eat at home anyways."  

"Shut up and eat your pizza," laughed Stark through a mouthful of cheese bread. "You know, this stuff might be a disgrace to real Italian cooking, but it's damn tasty."

"Agreed," Peter said. 

Before they knew it, the new spider suit was complete. "This is the greatest day of my life," declared Peter. "Can I try it on, please?"

"It won't fit anybody else," said Stark. "Go for it. You might want to take off the hoodie, though."

Peter threw on the new suit. "Is it supposed to be this loose?" he asked. Mr. Stark just reached forward and tapped the spider symbol on the front. The suit shrunk automatically to fit like a second skin. "Oh my god, that is so cool. Is there, like, a mirror anywhere that I can see this? Because it feels totally unreal."

Mr. Stark genuinely smiled, a rare occurrence. "FRIDAY, would you show Peter how it looks?" The projection on the table changed to a live camera feed of the lab. Peter stopped and stared at the image. 

"Oh my god."

"What?"

"I look like a boy," whispered Peter. "This is the most convincing I've ever looked. I don't understand. How?"

"Amazing what a little compression and shoulder padding will do, isn't it?" he chuckled.

"Mr. Stark, I don't know how to repay you for this," he said.

"Don't get yourself killed, that's how. The fabric's reinforced, but not bulletproof. Or knifeproof. So just don't get within knife range. Got it?"

"Yessir, Mr. Stark. I won't let you down!" Peter impulsively threw his arms around the man in a hug, startling them both. He released almost as quickly as he remembered something. “Sorry, sir, I’d love to stay longer, but Ned’s coming over to my house at 5:30 to finish our Lego Death Star. See you later, Mr. Stark!” He ran to the elevator and left before Stark could process it. 

“Boss?” 

“FRIDAY?” 

“Why are you going to all this trouble for a child you barely know?” 

“I’ve read his records and I feel bad for him,” he admitted. 

“Tony Stark has feelings. I’ll alert the press,” quipped FRIDAY. 

“Shut up, FRI.”


	5. F.R.I.D.A.Y.

Peter Parker may have had a lot to learn from Tony Stark. But Tony Stark was quickly realizing that he had a lot to learn from Peter Parker. 

“We’re gonna end today’s training with the basics, as always. Left. Right. Upper. Kick. Deflect.” Tony punctuated each word with the action it described. “Again, with me.” 

“Left, right, upper, kick, deflect,” Peter recited. 

“You’re a fast learner. Again, but quicker.” 

“Left, right, upper, kick, deflect!” Peter’s fists impacted the punching bag with each word. 

“Good! Again. Channel all your anger and put it in your fight.” 

“Left, right, upper, kick, deflect!” The chain suspending the bag broke. It flew across the training room and collided with the opposite wall. 

Stark whistled. “Damn, kid. I would not want to be on the other side of your fights.” 

“Ideally,” panted Peter, “I won’t be in any fights.” 

Tony picked up the fallen punching bag. “You’re a terrible liar. Come on, there’s pasta upstairs.” Only the promise of food motivated Peter to move. He changed out of his workout clothes and followed Tony up the steps. 

They ate in relative silence. Occasionally Tony’s phone would vibrate against the countertop, but otherwise it was quiet. Peter was never this quiet. 

“What’s up, kid?” asked Tony. 

“Hm?” said Peter with a mouthful of pasta. 

“Normally you talk so much I can’t get a word in edgewise, but you haven’t said a thing to me since you got here.” He tilted his head, as if trying to read Peter’s mind. “Something’s bugging you. What is it?”

“It’s nothing, Mr. Stark,” Peter mumbled. “Doesn’t matter.” 

“Bad liar,” he teased, then grew serious. “Hey. I’ve known you for four entire months. We have done some crazy shit together. And don't tell Cap I said that." He grimaced, but softened. "You can tell me anything.” 

“It’s fine. It doesn’t matter.” 

“Yeah, obviously it does, if it’s bothering you so much. We’re not leaving this room till you tell me what it is.” 

“Fine, but it’s really not important.” Peter sighed. “I want to buy a binder, but I don’t have the money for a good one and a bad one will mess up your ribs. And even if I did, then May would freak if she saw the package. But between school and studying and Spider-Man, I don’t have the time for a job to make any money to buy one in the first place.” 

“Sounds like you’ve been thinking about this for a while, kid.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s already 5:30? Well. Tell you what, come back - what's today, Thursday? Come back after school next Monday, and we can figure something out for you. Okay?” 

Peter rose from his chair. “Thanks for everything, Mr. Stark. You really are the best. See you Monday!” He disappeared into the elevator. 

“Kid never says a proper goodbye,” Tony noted. “FRIDAY? Bring up Peter’s measurements in my lab. I have some research to do.”

* * *

Peter had taken the subway home, which meant he couldn’t sneak in through the window. He found the front door of his apartment was unlocked. That’s weird, he mused. May shouldn’t be home yet. 

“Kate? That you?” called May’s voice. 

“Yeah, it’s me,” she replied. Peter used a lower voice than his natural one, but Kate had a lovely soprano, according to the choir teacher. “You’re home early.” 

“Overstaffed,” explained May. “Plus I’ve worked so much overtime this week, any more hours would technically be illegal." Kate could hear the quotation marks around "technically illegal". "So I’m home for the rest of the weekend, too.” She noticed the look on Kate’s face. “Something bothering you, Katie-cat?” 

"No, everything's fine," she responded a little too quickly.

"Don't try that on me, girlie, I see right through you." She laughed. "What's up?"

“Can I get a haircut?” blurted Kate. “There’s this girl at school that has a really cute pixie cut, and I was just thinking that it would be fun to, uh, change up my hair. I’ve had this hairstyle since-“ Her breath caught in her throat. “Since before Ben,” she finished. 

“Oh, um, sure!” said May, slightly surprised by the outburst. “Yeah, I think I have my old kit somewhere around here. I used to do Ben’s hair, you know. All the time.” Kate nodded, remembering. “Why don’t you find some pictures of what you want? That’s easier than trying to describe it, at least.” They both laughed a little. Kate pulled up a few pictures. “You really want to go that short?” asked May. 

“Yeah, uh, my long hair just gets in the way. Like doing labs and stuff at school? I never have a scrunchie on me. Plus I figured I could donate it, since it’s so long?”

“Yeah, that would be really cool,” agreed May. She got to work, clipping and trimming all over. Hair littered the kitchen floor and covered May's clothes. "I think that's it," she said. "Want to take a look?" She handed Kate a small mirror from the hair kit. 

"Oh my god, May, this is amazing!" She turned her head from side to side, admiring the shape of the cut. "You're the best. I'd give you a hug, but, y'know..." She gestured at the hair covering everything. "Mess."

"It's fine, I'll clean it up. You go shower and let me know what you think, okay?" She smiled and grabbed the broom.

Kate headed toward the bathroom, grabbing a towel from the laundry room on the way. She stripped off her hair-covered clothes and turned on the shower. Looking in the mirror, Peter finally saw someone that almost looked like himself. He smiled wide. 

* * *

After school on Monday couldn't come fast enough. Though Peter tried to leave as quickly as he could, Ned caught him in the hallway after school. "Hey, are you doing anything tonight?"

Peter wanted to tell him about going over to Avengers Tower, but didn't. "Nah, probably just homework. What's up?"

"We need to work on the Death Star. It's still in your room, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course. When do you want to come over?"

"6:30 work for you?"

"Sounds good," Kate agreed, mostly to get Ned to leave. Peter dropped the front. _God, it's exhausting pretending like that._

Peter arrived at Avengers Tower buzzing with excitement. "Hey, FRIDAY," he greeted.

"Hello, Peter. Boss is currently working in his lab. Would you like me to notify him of your arrival?"

"No, it's fine, just take me up to the lab."

"Boss has asked that I notify him anyway," replied FRIDAY as the elevator ascended. "Floor 87 - Mr. Stark's personal lab."

"Hey, Pete," called Mr. Stark. "Nice hair. I'm surprised FRIDAY recognized you to let you in," he teased. "You want to train today or do some suit upgrades?"

"Upgrades are always nice," decided Peter. "Plus I have to be back home by 6:30. My friend is coming over to work on our Lego Death Star."

"That is the nerdiest thing you have ever said. Alright, get that thing out of your backpack and set it over there."

"Mr. Stark, I am offended that you assume I carry my suit everywhere I go," Peter deadpanned as he pulled it from the bottom of his bag. "What are we upgrading?"

"Web shooters, software, the works. Plus replacing the power core, I think it got damaged last time you got shot at.

"It was one time, Mr. Stark, and I didn't even get hit," defended Peter.

"Sure, kid, but there's a reason your suit is reinforced. Oh yeah!" He stopped, remembering something. "By the way, there's a, uh, a package over where your suit stuff is. I think it's for you." He knew his cover was terrible, but it was better than giving the box to Peter outright. The kid usually refused gifts if he knew they were coming. Peter opened the box, looking confused. Realization flickered across his face as he read the note Tony had left on top of the pile of binders inside. 

_Heard you could use a couple. Different brands, sizes, colors, etc. Keep the ones you like and I’ll donate the rest. -TS_

"Oh my God," he mumbled. "Mr. Stark, you didn't - I don't - this is so much." 

Tony smiled genuinely at Peter. "It's the least I could do for you." He leaned back in his chair. "Also, I may have done a couple hours of research. And had FRIDAY check every site she could find. And read every user review-" Peter raised a hand to cut him off.

"Thank you, Mr. Stark. You have no idea how many problems this solves."

"Don't mention it, kid. Now, we gonna work on the suit or what?" 


	6. May Parker

Peter webbed home after upgrading the suit with Mr. Stark. Rather, Mr. Stark had done all the upgrading. Peter, meanwhile, had tried on every binder in the box, at Mr. Stark’s insistence. He had stuffed the ones that fit into his school backpack and left the rest in the box in the lab. _Still can’t believe any of this is real_. Peter was so occupied with his thoughts, he forgot to check his room before swinging inside the window. He pulled off his mask, grateful for the fresh air. 

 _Mistake_. 

“Spider-Man?” gasped Ned. Peter turned around in disbelief. “Oh my god, Kate?” He dropped the LEGO Death Star. Kate winced. 

“There goes three weeks of work,” she quipped. 

“Holy SHIT!” shouted Ned. 

“You guys okay in there?” called May’s voice. “I heard something break,” she said as she rounded the corner into Kate’s room. She stopped cold in her tracks. 

Peter felt his world crashing around his ears. _They know. They know. They know. They -_

”Kate?” whispered May. “You’re...  you’re not...”

“You’re Spider-Man,” Ned finished.

Kate smiled halfheartedly, hoping to defuse the situation. The tension in the room was so high, it triggered Peter’s spider sense. “Hi, May,” she said weakly. “You’re home early.”

“Katherine Elizabeth Mary Parker, I swear to god, if this is some kind of prank, I’m going to murder you.”

Kate recognized that tone. It was only used in very specific situations, when May was pissed at someone she loved for an extremely good reason. “Nope, just me,” she tried. Kate caught a glimpse of Ned squeezing against the wall, trying to escape the full force of May’s anger. But May rounded on him next.

”Did you know about this?” 

Ned shook his head no, terrified of May’s rage. _I knew he was a smart one_ , thought Peter ruefully.

“Are you crazy?” screamed May. “You go out there doing God-knows-what and you never said a word to me? Jesus, Kate, I thought we raised you to be smarter than that!” Her tone shifted from anger to hysteria. “How long have you been doing this behind my back? You expect to go out there in some crazy getup and not get seriously hurt? Why the hell are you calling yourself Spider-Man, Kate? _What the fuck is wrong with you?_ ” 

Kate’s throat felt dry as a desert. “Peter,” croaked Kate. _Oh, I should not have said that_. 

“What? Speak up, I can’t hear you,” May snapped. 

“Peter,” he said more confidently. “That’s... my name. Not Spider-Man. Peter.” 

“The hell it is,” hissed May. “I will not have any freaks living under my roof.”

Chills swept down Peter's spine, freezing him where he stood. “May?” he whispered. 

“Get out,” she told him. “Out. Out of my goddamn house.” 

Peter yanked the mask on to conceal the emotion rising in his chest. Without another word, he turned and leapt out the window where he’d come. 

“Is everything alright, Peter?” Karen interrupted his racing thoughts. “Your heart rate and breathing indicate that you are in distress. Would you like to call Mr. Stark?” 

“No!” gasped Peter. “No. Just maybe send him a text asking if he’s busy.” 

Ned found him on the apartment building’s roof five minutes later. He was out of breath. _He must’ve sprinted up the stairs_. “Holy shit, what was that? I didn’t - you - what the hell, Kate?” 

”Peter,” he said numbly. “It’s Peter. I’m Spider-Man. 

“Peter, huh? Well, Peter,” he said as if testing the name, “my question still stands. What the hell was that?” 

“I don’t know. I had heard her saying stuff about freaks, like me, before, but I didn’t think she would think the same thing about me.” He whispered the last word, unable to process it. 

“Peter, Mr. Stark is calling,” said Karen. 

“Sorry, Ned, give me a sec.” He took a deep breath and steadied his voice. “Karen, answer the phone.” 

“You okay, kid?” asked Tony. “I got your text, and Karen seemed pretty concerned.” 

“Nothing, Mr. Stark, everything’s great,” Peter said with fake enthusiasm. 

“You really are a terrible liar, kid. If you don’t tell me, I’ll call May and ask her what’s wrong.” 

“That’s the problem,” Peter blurted. “May, she - I - oh, god. Okay. So I webbed home from the tower, right? And I just had a lot on my mind and I forgot to check the room before I swung in through the window. Ned was in there, and he started yelling, then May came running in cause she thought somebody was dying, and she saw me in the suit.” 

“Well, that sucks that you didn’t get to tell them on your own terms. What did they think?” 

“Ned is awesome, Mr. Stark, he totally took it in stride. But May, uh, May yelled at me about how...” His voice broke. “How she doesn’t want a freak living under her roof.” 

“Oh, Pete,” was all he could say. They sat in silence for a moment, only interrupted by Karen.

“Peter, Aunt May is calling, and it’s urgent. I recommend you answer.”

“Sorry, Mr. Stark, I gotta take that. It’s - it’s May.” 

“Yeah, I heard Karen too. Go ahead, answer it. And call me back if shit hits the fan, alright?” 

Peter nodded silently and switched over to May’s call. “Hello?” 

“Kate, I have been trying to reach you for four straight minutes. Where the hell are you?” 

“Roof.” 

“Oh my God! Enough of this insane vigilante shit. You get your ass back in this apartment, or I’ll make sure you never get back inside my house.” She ended the call before Peter could respond. He felt numb, the same way he had when Ben died. This can’t be happening right now. 

“Pete? You still there?” His mentor’s voice snapped him out of his fog. “Look, I - Karen kept me on the line, and I heard what May said. I’m not going to show up and make everything worse, but I’ll stay on the line, if you want me to. Just tell Karen to put the phone on speaker and it’ll be like I’m right there with you.” 

“That would be perfect, Mr. Stark,” Peter agreed. “I’m gonna, uh, head back down to the apartment. Ned, you can go home. You shouldn’t have to be here in the middle of an argument.” 

“I’m staying,” he said immediately. “I’m your bro. You’re not gonna be alone when you talk to her.” 

“Thanks, Ned. Um, you wanna take the stairs and wait outside? If it starts sounding really bad, you have full permission to come barging in. I’m just gonna take the window.” He vaulted over the roof ledge and disappeared. It didn’t take him long to find the right window. He crawled in, steeling himself for the conversation. “You still there, Mr. Stark?” 

“100%, kid.” 

“Okay.” He took a deep breath and called, “May?” 

She marched into his room. "Sit."

He sat. 

"I have some questions for you, young lady, and God help you if you lie to me." Her voice was quiet, but terrifyingly serious. Kate nodded. "One - how long have you been like this?" 

"Ten - ten months," she whispered.  _Already? Yeah, it's been like three months since Germany. Unbelievable_. 

"Oh my God." May boxed that one up and stored it for a later freak-out. "Okay. Second question. Why the hell are you calling yourself Spider-Man?"

"Well, it started with the spider bite at Oscorp..."

"You got bit by a spider?" May's voice carried a tinge of concern. It sounded out of place against her 'interrogation' mode. 

"Yeah, a big fat one. Must've been radioactive or magic or something, cause that's when I first got my powers."

"Powers? What powers?"

"Enhanced senses, strength, reflexes, the works. Plus the wall-sticking."

"The what?"

Peter stood up and jumped. His hands stuck to the ceiling. He hauled up both legs and flipped so he was hanging upside-down. "Don't ask me how I can do it, 'cause Mr. Stark and I have tried to figure it out a million times."

"Stark?" hissed May. _Oh shit, shouldn't have said that_. "As in Tony Stark? As in the man that showed up here, out of the blue, and told me he was offering you an internship? The same Tony Stark that dragged you off to Germany? That Tony Stark?"

Peter felt his face redden. "...yeah."

"Oh my God. The internship, then? All fake?"

"Not entirely. Half the time, I'm doing actual work at the tower. But the other half was a cover." Peter couldn't believe how much he was telling her, after so long keeping it all bottled up. 

"Give me your phone. I'm calling him." 

 

 


	7. Panic Parker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not super happy with this chapter, but it has to go up so I can do the fun stuff that comes later. Also, May probably wouldn’t act like this, but uhhhhhhh plot device.

Peter handed his phone over, terrified of what she was going to say. He heard the mask shut off. _Mr. Stark really had been listening, then_. 

"Hello?" came the voice through the speaker. 

"This is May Parker. You know damn well who I am." Peter cringed, listening to his mentor take the full force of May's wrath. "I hear you've been mentoring Spider-Man, who also happens to be my niece. I have one question for you, Stark. What the hell have you been doing?"

For once in his life, Tony Stark had no words. Finally, he decided on the truth. "I keep tabs on enhanced people around the world, as part of the Avengers Initiative. Peter showed up on my radar. He's talented, but had no equipment or training. So I took him under my wing, gave him a new suit, taught him how to defend himself. Peter also interns in my lab at Stark Industries. He's good, probably the best kid we've ever had in the internship." Despite his worries, Peter smiled at the praise. "He's a good kid, Miss Parker. My reputation suggests otherwise, but I really do enjoy mentoring. Peter is simply the latest in the chain." Peter knew the last line was a fib, but decided not to point it out. _I'm dead enough as it is_. 

"That's great, Stark. I'm still missing one tiny little bit of information, though."

"And what would that be?"

"Her name," insisted May, "is Katherine. She's my niece. Why the FUCK is she calling herself Spider-Man and why are you calling her Peter? That is not her name. I should know."

Peter heard the sigh through the phone. "I'm sorry you learned about Pe- Kate this way. Your niece, Kate, is your nephew, Peter. He's a transgender male."

"Liar," spat May. "I refuse to have you corrupting my niece like this." She hung up on him and dropped the phone on the floor. She turned to yell at Kate a little more, only to find an empty room. 

Peter had taken the opportunity to snatch his backpack from the floor and dart out the window. He had no solid plan, only a running monologue of _gotta leave gotta leave she knows she knows she's gonna kill me gotta go gotta leave have to get out before she finds out_. He'd dropped the bag on the roof before crawling back down to listen. When May's angry footsteps faded, he webbed his phone from the floor and ran back up to the roof. 

The trip back to Stark Tower only took seven minutes in his panic-fueled escape. _Maybe I should always go that fast, if I can shave three minutes off the usual time_. He crawled up the building, to the window he knew would be unlocked. He scrambled inside, hauling the bag in after him. He paused as he dropped the bag. His arms felt like lead bars hanging at his side. After the panic of the last half hour, he felt totally drained. 

"Welcome back, Peter. Is everything alright?" asked FRIDAY. 

"Thank you, FRIDAY." Peter intentionally ignored her question. "Is Mr. Stark here?"

"Boss is his lab. He has already been notified of your arrival. He would also like you to know that there is food in the kitchen if you would like some."

"Thanks, FRIDAY." Peter made his way to the kitchen. A pot sat on the stove, along with a hastily written note. 

_Knew you'd come by. I was in the middle of cooking when I got your text, hence the phone calls. Take as much as you want - I made a ton. Plus it's my mother's recipe, so you're basically legally required to eat at least four plates. -TS_

Peter smiled and helped himself to a plate. _Whatever this is, it's delicious. I'll have to ask Mr. Stark for the recipe_. Peter automatically walked to the lab. He took his usual seat at his workstation, still carrying the plate. 

Mr. Stark looked up from his project. "Hey, kid. Found the pasta?" 

"It's fantastic," said Peter, grinning. "I love alfredo.”

“Stark family recipe. Foolproof, with the right ingredients. Mom really knew what she was talking about.” 

“You know what, Mr. Stark? This is so good, I almost forgot about Aunt May. Oh, it's late, she's gonna kill me when I get home.”

“You’re not going back there tonight,” Tony promised. “There are spare rooms here. I’m not letting you go back just to get your ass beat.”  

"No, no, Mr. Stark, it's all fine now." 

"Pete, I heard everything she said to you. Is it really fine?"

Peter kept smiling, though tears welled in his eyes. "Yep!" 

A beat of silence passed. They both knew he was lying. The tears fell anyway. He buried his face in his hands, but couldn’t keep himself from sobbing. “I’m so sorry,” he choked. “I didn’t want to be a burden, or take up more of your time, cause I know how busy you are with everything...” 

“Pete, listen to me. You could never be a burden to me. Okay? I’m more concerned about making sure you’re safe. Your aunt is terrifying.” 

Peter laughed softly. “Yeah, tell me about it.” 

Tony smiled. For once in his life, he didn’t have a sarcastic quip to reply with. 

“Mr. Stark?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Do I... do I have to go back to May’s tonight? I’m scared,” whispered Peter. _Don’t start crying again. Don’t - too late_. A single, traitorous droplet ran down his cheek. _God, could this get any more melodramatic_? 

“Oh, kid.” Tony pulled the kid in and hugged him as he cried. “It’s gonna be okay. You can stay here tonight.” 

"I just don't understand why. I knew she didn't like Spider-Man, but I didn't - she never - oh, god." He realized whose shoulder he had been crying into. _What the hell am I doing? I just had to go and make it weird, didn't I_. A second of silence passed. “Is this a hug, or are you just grabbing the door for me?” Peter joked. 

“Now, there’s the Peter Parker I know. Hey, I know what’ll cheer you up.” 

“What?” 

“Well, before you came in, I was working on a new suit. And don't ask which mark this one is, I've lost count. How much do you know about nanotech?” 

Peter smiled, wiping away the last of the tears. They set to work, Tony showing Peter everything he'd been doing with the nanotech suit. The work calmed Peter, distracted him from the events of the day. By the time they got just the gauntlet to work, it was almost midnight. 

"Hot damn, it's late. Bedtime for spider-children," Tony declared. 

"I'm fine!" Peter yawned wide. "Okay, maybe it's a little late." 

"I'd say. FRIDAY, shut it down." 

"Where should I put the nano gauntlet, boss?" 

"Throw it in with the rest of the testers. And make sure DUM-E doesn't get into the boxes again."

"Sure, boss."

Peter watched in awe as the lab packed itself up. Drawers closed, boxes moved, and computers shut off all at once. "Mr. Stark, that is so cool!"

"It's pretty nice. One of these days, you should code one of your own. FRI, light the way to the spare room, would you?" The hallway lit up in response. "Now, _that_ is handy. If only I had that at MIT. Anyway, follow the lights, they’ll take you to your room. There’s toothpaste and stuff in there, but no spare clothes, unfortunately. FRIDAY will wake you up in time to catch the subway to your school. I’d have Happy drive you, but he’ll kill me if I make him drive in that traffic again.” 

Peter was at a loss for words. “Mr. Stark, this is so much. I - I - I don’t know how to thank you,” He spluttered. 

“Get some sleep, kid.” Tony clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Night,” he called from down the hallway. 

“Night,” said Peter. He located the room with FRIDAY’s help. There was barely time to admire the room before Peter was fast asleep on top of the bed. 


	8. Pepper Potts

“What the hell am I doing, FRI?” Tony said to the empty bedroom. His body was tired, but his thoughts ran in circles around his mind. He couldn't shake the memory of May's anger. 

"At the moment, boss, you're being a hypocrite. You told Mr. Parker to sleep, but you, obviously, are not,” FRIDAY teased. Her robotic voice made it difficult to understand tone, but Tony understood exactly what she meant. 

“You know, I didn’t program you to be this sassy, and I have no idea where you learned it. But you know what I mean. The kid.” 

“Are you talking about Peter?” 

“No, the other kid I've been taking care of that's currently sleeping in this tower.” 

"Of course, boss. How could I be mistaken?" 

"Shut up, FRI." Tony smiled, leaning farther back into his pillows. "I just don't want to screw up the kid any more than he already is. You heard that phone call. His aunt was ready to disown him. I can't..." He fought back the emotion rising in his throat. "He's lost so much family already. I can't have that on my conscience." He sat in silence for a moment before something occurred to him. "Oh, god, what if I start turning into my dad? I don't know how to take care of a kid." Panic crept into Tony's voice.

"Peter is not your son, boss," FRIDAY reminded gently. "May Parker will likely wish to apologize once the initial shock has worn off. Might I remind you of your own reaction to finding out about Mr. Parker?" 

"Don't. You've made your point, FRIDAY. Now let me sleep, won't you?" He rolled over and buried his face in the nearest pillow.

Twelve seconds passed before he spoke again. "FRI, run a search on support strategies for LGBT teens. Include everything, compile it into a report for me to read tomorrow morning." 

"On it, boss." FRIDAY would have smirked and rubbed her hands together if she had a mouth or hands. "If you're that concerned about Peter, boss, then my recommendation is to call a trusted friend. Someone who is familiar with both you and Spider-Man. Ms. Potts would be happy to help you, I'm sure."

"FRI, no, don't you dare. She's in Chicago right now, she's got a huge presentation tomorrow, she'll kill me -"

"Calling Ms. Potts."

"Goddammit, FRIDAY," he cursed as Pepper picked up the line. 

"Anthony Stark, I swear to god, this better be important. Otherwise you wouldn't be calling me at 11:30 the night before the Chicago meeting, would you?" Pepper answered. 

"Well, hello to you, too." Tony couldn't help but smile at the sound of her voice. 

"Not in the mood to deal with you right now, Tony. I don't want to hear it. Just tell me why you called so I can go to sleep." 

"Technically, I didn't call you, FRIDAY did so against my wishes. Anyway, you remember Peter, the intern?" 

"You mean Spider-Man?" 

"Yeah. His aunt found out that he's Spider-Man, and screamed at him for a while, then called me and screamed at me for a while. So I was just asking FRIDAY to look up some advice, but then she called you." 

"Advice about what?" Pepper sounded more awake.

"You know, how to take him back to his apartment without pissing off his aunt more, that kind of thing." 

"What do you mean back to his apartment? Where is he now?" 

"I, uh, gave him the spare room in the penthouse. Just for the night, since May told him she didn't want him sleeping under her roof and all that." 

"Oh my god, Tony, what have you gotten yourself into?" 

He found himself without a snarky response. "Sorry to bother you. Big day tomorrow and all that. I shouldn't have called."

"No," said Pepper sharply. 

"No what?" 

"No as in no, you don't get to do this to me again. You always have something on your mind and you always act like it's fine, but it's not! You have to talk to me, Tony. What's so special about this kid that you let him stay with you?" 

"You'll think I'm crazy." 

"I already know you're crazy." 

"Love you too, Pep." He laughed, but hesitated. "I just... I don't know. He's smart, probably smarter than me. I guess I feel like I'm responsible for the kid. He's already lost two parents and his uncle. His aunt thinks he's a monster. There's no one else there for him." 

"Except you." 

"Yeah."

"Well, it sounds like you're doing just fine so far," she reassured. "Now, you know I'd love to stay and talk, but I have a meeting at 8 am. I can call you back tomorrow, after the meeting."

"Right, yeah, sorry. Love you, Pepper."

"Love you too." The call ended. Tony sat in silence for a moment. The chat with Pepper had helped, but he wasn't about to tell FRIDAY that. He shook his head, clearing the racing thoughts that had kept him awake. 

"FRIDAY, take a message for the kid when he wakes up."

"What do you want me to say?" 

 "Tell him I'm sorry that I'm not there to send him to school, but I'm not a morning person and he should know this already. Tell him not to go home after school, but to text me. And tell him I'm proud of him for handling everything so well." He paused, debating whether to keep the last sentence. "No, cut that last one, that would be weird. That's all. Night, FRI." Tony rolled over and sank into exhausted sleep. 

Peter awoke to the sunrise. "Good morning, Peter. Did you sleep well?" 

"Yeah, sure, I feel great," he mumbled, still half-asleep. "Man, this is way earlier than I usually get up." 

"Mr. Stark instructed me to give you time to eat a proper breakfast. He said to tell you there is plenty of food in the kitchen. He has also left you a recorded message. Would you like to hear it?" 

"Um, yeah, of course." Peter rubbed his eyes as the recording started playing. His chest filled with warmth at the compliment and Mr. Stark's reaction to saying it. "Hey, FRIDAY? Can I leave a message for Mr. Stark?" 

"Of course, Peter." 

"Tell him it's not, uh, it's not weird at all. In reference to his message, I mean, and um... yeah." 

"I will relay your message when Boss wakes up."

"Thanks, FRIDAY." Peter smiled and rifled through his backpack for his spare change of clothes. May's words still hung over him in an angry cloud, but the message from Mr. Stark definitely outweighed it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a bit shorter than the rest - sorry about that. I've been hitting some writer's block the past few days, but hopefully I get back in my stride now that I'm not failing all my classes. Feedback is welcome! I love reading y'all's comments.


	9. May, Kate, Peter, Tony

Tony picked up Peter from school that day. Whispers and stares followed him into the luxury car. 

“Hey, kid. How was school?” asked Tony casually. 

“Uh, it was okay. Ned was really concerned about me, so that was nice of him, I guess. I think some people saw me get into the car, though, so that’s gonna be fun to deal with later.” Peter rubbed his eyes, anticipating the rumors he would have to deny. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Oh, it’s nothing, Mr. Stark, it’s fine.” 

“Yeah, not buying that. You just said it was nothing, then it was fine. What’s _it_?” 

“It’s nothing, really, just...” Peter sighed. “It’s just a couple people that give me shit about my internship. Stark Industries doesn’t take high schoolers, and all that.” He paused, thinking. “Wait, where are we going?” 

“Food. I know for a fact you’re starving by now.” 

“Thanks, but I’m good, Mr. Stark,” deflected Peter. 

“Kid, I’ve seen those school meals. They don’t give you enough for a regular kid, let alone a teenage boy with an enhanced metabolism. Besides, I haven’t eaten yet. May as well feed both of us.”

They pulled into a random drive-through. Peter tried not to think about how he was _in_ _Tony freakin’ Stark’s car_ and they were eating at some greaseball burger joint. That was simply too much for his exhausted brain to process. He barely registered Tony ordering. “Hi, can I get a cheeseburger combo, no onions, and-“ He turned to Peter. “What do you want, kid?” 

“Uh, ten chicken nuggets,” Peter said out of sheer habit. 

“And twenty chicken nuggets,” Tony finished the order. 

“Mr. Stark, you didn’t have to-“ 

“Shush,” laughed Tony. “Stop worrying so much and just eat, alright?” 

“Me? Worrying? I would never do such a thing,” Peter deadpanned. “What would I possibly have to worry about, anyway?” 

“The fact that after we eat, we’re going to go home and talk with May.” 

Peter’s mood flipped in an instant. He shrank back in his seat, as if hiding from some unseen enemy. “No, I can’t. I can’t go back there.” 

“You have to see her eventually, Pete. And if you keep putting it off, she’s going to kill both of us.” 

“I know, I just... she was so angry,” Peter whispered. “I can’t do that again.” 

“Hey,” said Tony in his best ‘comforting parent’ voice. “You’re not gonna be alone. I’ll be right behind you the whole time, got it?” 

Peter nodded silently. 

“Alright, kiddo.” He smiled. “Eat up.” 

They ate in silence for a while. Tony contemplated his plan. Step 1, 'bribe the kid with food', was complete. Step 2, 'explain everything to May', was going to be exponentially harder. _At least he’s well fed_ , thought Tony as Peter finished the last chicken nugget. “And you said ten was enough,” he teased. 

“Enhanced metabolism, Mr. Stark. I can’t help it.” Peter smiled wryly.

“Oh, I know. In fact, I’ve had FRIDAY double the grocery orders every time I know you’ll be over past dinner." The small talk was nice, but it was meant as more of a distraction. He hoped Peter wouldn’t start overthinking as they backed out of the parking space. They chatted throughout the drive to the apartment. Peter had been telling him about his decathlon team, but Tony hadn't really been listening. Instead, he studied the kid's mannerisms as he talked. _He's animated, but he's forcing it. Everything he's talking about is superficial_ , Tony noted. _None of it affects his life like May does_. To anyone else, it would seem that he didn't have a care in the world. Tony knew him better than that. To him, Peter's fear bled through the gaps in his cheerful exterior. _He's absolutely terrified of going back_ , he realized. 

"We're here," he announced. Peter stared at his apartment building. "Something wrong, Pete?" 

"What if she doesn't want to talk to me? She's the only family I've got. And - and what do I do if she kicks me out again?" His voice faltered. "I don't have anywhere to go." 

"You have me," Tony said, surprising them both. "You have my number. Anytime you need me." 

Peter smiled. "Thanks, Mr. Stark." He took a breath, calming himself. "Should we go in?" 

"Right behind you, kid." 

 

May threw her arms around Peter when she opened the door. "Kate! Oh my God, where have you been? I've been so worried, you know. You weren't answering your phone and I just assumed something horrible had happened..." She noticed Tony still standing in the hallway. She released Peter, narrowing her eyes at the pair of them. "What are you doing here, Stark?" 

"I can explain everything, Mrs. Parker. Can we come in?" Tony asked. Peter recognized that tone; it was the same one he used on Pepper when she was angry. Smooth and businesslike, that voice helped Tony charm his way out of anything. May knew what he was trying to do, but let them both in anyway. 

They sat in the living room. May dragged Peter into the seat next to her on a couch, while Tony claimed half of the sofa across the room. _That's Ben's old spot_ , realized Peter. The old ache flared up in his chest, reminding him just how out of his element he felt. He caught the last fragment of May's sentence. "...encouraging this delusion?" 

"It's not a delusion, Mrs. Parker." 

"Then what do you call this? She's running around the city, getting into street fights, all in some insane Halloween costume!"

"Halloween costume?" Tony almost sounded offended. "The Spider-suit is a high tech protection system. It protects Peter from getting injured, on the rare occasion he actually does get into a fight." 

"Injured?" May hissed. "She would be a lot safer if _you_ didn't encourage her to go out like that."

"Try stopping him," countered Tony. "Nothing you do will keep him off the street. Trust me, I tried to tell him." 

"You've done quite enough. She's never leaving this apartment without me again." 

"I have to be Spider-man!" Peter interjected. 

"Hush, child, this doesn't concern you." May waved him off. 

"Yes, it does!" Peter rose from the couch. "You've been talking about me for the past two minutes like I'm not here. I've been listening. You don't understand." May scoffed, but Peter kept going. "You don't! You could never understand what makes me do this. I was there when Ben died. He died in my arms and I did nothing." Peter's voice broke. "If Spider-man had been there, he would still be here. I can't let that happen to another kid. When you can do the things that I can, but you don't, and then the bad things happen? They happen because of you. Okay?" Peter took a calming breath, then turned and left the room. 

Tony found Peter a minute later in his bedroom. Tears left silent tracks on his face as he packed clothes into a backpack. "My God, kid. What was that?" 

"The truth," he said. 

"You're gonna have to be more specific. What are you packing bags for?" 

"I'm leaving here. Don't ask me where I'm going, because I don't know. All I know is that May will never accept me. It's safer for me out there than it is here." He stuffed a shirt into the already-full bag. 

"Pete," tried Tony gently. Peter looked up from the backpack he'd been abusing. "There's a room at the Tower waiting for you. I'm not gonna force you to stay there. But I would sleep a lot better knowing you had somewhere safe to be while you figure everything out with May, alright?" 

Before Tony could even process it, Peter had thrown himself into a hug. "Thank you so much, Mr. Stark," he said into Tony's shirt. 

"Don't mention it." They separated, Peter looking sheepish. "Now," Tony paused, looking around. "Looks like you could use some help cleaning up?" 


	10. Peter Parker’s Demons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bad things happen to Peter Parker.   
> That’s all.

Peter sat on the pristine white carpet, exhausted. His backpack sat by the door, where he'd dropped it the first time he entered the room. The argument with May had played on repeat in his mind since he'd stormed out of the apartment. Whenever he closed his eyes, May's face was there, screaming at him.

"Freak!"the face said. "Get out of my house. You disgust me. You shouldn't even exist."

Peter's own thoughts mixed with the words.

"You don't deserve anyone's love. Especially not from that Stark. You really think he cares about you? You're just some worthless mutant kid, what would he want with you?" 

"You're Spider-Man," whispered a new voice. "He thinks you're useful. You have superpowers and he doesn't, that's all." The new voice sounded almost like Mr. Stark, but not quite. It was off, but Peter couldn't place why. 

"You used to be so good, Kate, and now you're a monster. What did I teach you?" 

"You could be helping people right now, Spider-Man. Why are you in here feeling sorry for yourself?" 

"I don't know," Peter murmured. "I don't - I'm sorry, I don't know, I..." 

"Get out of my house."

"Go outside and patrol." 

"Get out."

"Go outside." 

“Get out!” 

The voices swirled inside his head. Peter found himself clinging to the outside of Stark Tower. He scaled the side of the building, alighting on a balcony a few floors up from his room. He sat on the edge of the balcony. The wind blew cold against his legs. He tried to focus on the sounds of the city, but the voices were drowning him.

“Freak.”

“Useless.” 

“Monster.” 

“...ter?” 

“Waste.”

“Peter?” 

“Liar.” 

“Peter!” 

Peter blinked away the tears he hadn’t noticed forming. Someone had their hands on his shoulders, rattling him out of the spiral. 

“Peter? You with me?” 

“Mr. Stark?” he rasped. 

“Oh, thank God,” sighed Tony, releasing him. “You scared the hell out of me, kiddo.” He sat down next to Peter, keeping one hand on his knee. “I couldn’t find you, and then FRIDAY told me you were on the roof. She said you were talking to yourself, then you panicked and went out the window. What happened down there, Pete?” 

They sat motionless for a moment. Tony wanted to pull the kid close and never let him out of sight. Seeing Peter like this pulled heartstrings he didn’t remember having.

“I’m sorry,” he finally whispered. 

Tony wrapped one arm around the kid. It felt wrong, like he wasn’t meant to be the one consoling Peter. “Oh, Pete. You don’t have anything to be sorry for.” 

“Yes, I do!” He pushed Tony’s arm away from himself. “I’m useless. Look at me, hiding up here, when there’s people that need help down there!” He gestured to the city below. “I’m weak. Useless. I can’t even deal with my own stupid problems, and I’m not even fixing anybody else’s. Some hero I am.” He broke down into quiet sobs. 

“Jesus, hey, it’s okay. It’s okay.” Tony patted the kid’s back awkwardly. “You’re not weak, or useless, or anything like that. You’ve been through a lot, okay?” He paused, unsure what he should say next. “Hey, I know I’m not... I’m not your dad. I’m terrible at this gig. But you mean a lot to me, kid. Really.” 

Peter mumbled something that Tony didn’t catch. 

“Say that again?” 

“Because I’m Spider-Man,” Peter accused. 

A beat of silence passed between them.

“What?” Tony responded blankly. Genius though he was, Peter’s thought processes never made sense to him. It almost sounded like Peter thought he was nothing without Spider-Man. His fears were confirmed a moment later. 

“Don’t you see? I’m only useful when I’m Spider-Man. Nobody wants to hang around with stupid Kate Parker. Even you always keep me at arm’s length when I’m not in the suit!” 

“Pete, no,” was all Tony could say before enclosing Peter in a hug. A real hug, with both men’s emotions laid bare. “You’re the smartest, nicest, funniest kid I’ve ever met. I don’t know what I would do without you bouncing around my lab every day. You’re my favorite intern, and Spider-Man has nothing to do with that. Okay?” 

Peter scooted back out of Tony’s arms. Tear tracks ran down his face, quickly replaced by his mask’s blank features. “Thanks, Mr. Stark. You’re a good liar.” With that, he vaulted over the railing and disappeared into the New York night below. 

Tony scrambled to his feet, frantically searching for the red and blue suit. An agonizing second passed. Tony half-expected to see a crumpled mass on the sidewalk below, but a flash of white webbing caught his eye. “Thank God,” he breathed. Peter was alive. That was enough. 

“Boss, you have a voice message from Peter Parker,” FRIDAY called from inside the apartment. Tony sighed, opening his phone to listen to the message. 

“Hey, Mr. Stark. Sorry for running off like that. I just need some alone time. Don’t come looking for me. I’ll be back.” 

“What the hell is he doing?” Tony demanded. “I have to find him right now.” 

“Not recommended, Boss. Mr. Parker’s emotional state is fragile at best. Going against his wishes may ruin the trust he has in you.” 

“You might be right, but I don’t like it. What if he gets hurt? He’s definitely not in good enough shape to patrol. I have to go find him.” 

“I can’t stop you, Boss, but I still do not recommend such a course of action. Allow him to return when he is ready.” 

“Damn you, FRI,” Tony grumbled. His logical mind knew she was right. The small part of him ruled by emotion, however, screamed to find, save, protect. “Fine. I won’t go. But the minute something happens, FRI, you prep a suit and tell me instantly. Got it?” 

“Yes, Boss. Already tracking Mr. Parker’s vitals.” 

Fifteen minutes after Peter left, Tony was still pacing the apartment’s living room. He knew the way Peter’s mind worked. This outburst wasn’t like him at all. It was so out of left field, he wondered if there was some factor he’d forgotten before they went to visit May. What made the kid think so little of himself? 

Tony groaned and fell onto a nearby couch. He’d been running through the same thought process the entire time, but kept coming up blank. He eyed the liquor cabinet across the room. 

_No. Peter needs Sober Adult Tony, not Drunk Asshole Tony._

FRIDAY’s voice snapped him out of his reverie. “Boss? Incoming alert from Peter Parker.” 

Tony jumped up from the couch cushion. “What’s it say?” 

“Mr. Parker is currently unconscious. Karen is reporting several broken bones and a possible head injury.” 

“Shit. FRIDAY, suit!” he commanded. 

It took twelve long seconds for a suit to appear from the lab above. Another seven, and the suit was fully assembled and ready for flight. “Tracker?” 

“Already on it, Boss. It appears Mr. Parker has been wandering, with no set destination.” A map of New York appeared in his visor, complete with red line tracing Peter’s path. 

“Of course he is,” muttered Tony, already in the air. “Kid’s gonna be the death of me.” 

“You say that about a lot of things, Boss, and none of them have killed you yet.” 

“Shut up, FRI.” He knew she was trying to take his mind off his worries. After all, he’d written that program not so long ago. “Ignore all sarcasm protocols, okay? I’m not in the mood.” 

“Yes, Boss.” Tony swore he heard a note of concern in her robotic voice. “Mr. Parker’s vitals are up. Signs indicate he’s awake. Karen has completed her full medical scan. Sending to your helmet display.” 

“You are shitting me, FRIDAY.” The scan lit up with hundreds of tiny dots, each indicating an injury. Most of them were bruises, but a few were cuts and scrapes. Of course, Peter had gone to pick a fight. What else would he do? 

“I imagine he wanted to prove himself to you, Boss.” 

“Did I say that out loud?” 

“Yes, Boss. Autopiloting to Peter’s location.” 

Two and a half minutes passed before Tony arrived. He didn’t know what to expect when he landed. Would he find an empty alleyway? A pair of muggers webbed to a wall, with a chicken-scratch note left pinned to their chests? 

What he actually found knocked the wind out of him. Peter lay in a heap beside a dumpster. No one else was in sight. 

“Peter? Kid? Oh, Jesus, no. No.” The suit unfolded, allowing Tony to fall to his knees. He placed two fingers on the kid’s neck, praying he found a pulse. It was there, beating fast and weak under his hand. 

“S’okay, Mr. Stark,” mumbled Peter. “Just fell, is all. Decided to... to take a nap. I’m real tired, Mis’r Stark.” 

“Oh, no. Don’t fall asleep on me,” Tony ordered. “FRI, send another suit. Sentry mode until it arrives.” The suit did as it was told, leaving Tony free to panic about Peter’s condition. He yanked the mask off. Peter’s eyes were closed halfway. “You still with me, kid?” 

“Shhhh,” slurred Peter, his eyes still closed. “M tryin’ a sleeeeeep.” 

“No, no, you can’t sleep. Not now, okay? Not until the other suit gets here. Peter, come on, talk to me.” He hoped the kid was dazed enough that he wouldn’t notice the fear in Tony’s voice. 

“Oth’r suit? I only ‘ve one suit, and... and I’m wearin’ it. Right?” 

“Yeah, you’re wearing it. I mean one of my suits, so we can take you home safely,” Tony reassured. 

“Home?” Peter opened his eyes and shrank back from Tony’s touch. Tony almost gained hope at the sudden burst of energy. “No. Home is bad. Bad bad bad bad bad,” he repeated. “May s’at home. I can’t... I can’t...” His breathing intensified into panic. “Don’t wanna go, Mr. Stark, please. Please,” he gasped. 

Tony pulled him close, held him as if he was going to shatter and disappear. The second suit landed a moment later. 

“Pete, shh, it’s okay. It’s okay. We’re gonna take you back to my house and fix you, alright? My house. No May.” He released Peter, letting him slump back against the dumpster. It pained him, seeing the kid so hurt.

“FRIDAY, suit me up.” The suit’s display already had the med-scanner loaded. “Detailed scan. Anything that would prevent us from moving him?” 

“Mr. Parker appears to have one broken ankle, cracked tibia, and broken ribs, all on the left side. He also shows signs of concussion, though further scans will be necessary to determine the severity. He should be stable enough for transport to the tower’s medbay.” 

Once Peter was safely encased in the second suit, they took off for the tower. Tony was fairly sure you shouldn’t transport concussion patients at half the speed of sound, but his panic still won out. 

_Come on, kid. You can’t die._

Then, a darker thought. 

_What has has gotten into you?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, y’all! It’s been a hot minute since I’ve updated, hasn’t it? I’ve been hella busy with the end of school, etc. (thank god for graduation!) Plus I’ve had the flu for the past three days, so I wrote most of this chapter while drugged out of my mind. Sorry about that. As always, I live for the comments. Especially the kind that correct my writing errors.  
> Thanks y’all!  
> -riv


	11. Peter Benjamin Parker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG I AM THE WORST UPDATER. Sorry it took an eternity to post this - my "flu" from the last chapter turned into pneumonia and I spent a few days in the hospital for it. (fun fact, the hospital room in this chapter is based on mine!) Since then I've been so busy with family and work and college prep I haven't had the inspiration to write. Anyway, please enjoy!

When Tony Stark was stressed, he invented. Hours became days spent in his lab. He drowned himself in his work - it was easier than dealing with reality.

When he was worried, he paced. He would trace circles and figure-eights on the floor, sometimes muttering to himself if it was especially bad. 

Rarely, perhaps once in five years, he would be afraid. Fear did not fit Tony Stark. It lived in the back of his closet, with his old suits and MIT fraternity shirts. He didn't want to admit it; he hated the very thought.

The fact remained, Peter had _scared_ him. 

In the two seconds before he verified the kid's pulse, he had thought the worst. A million thoughts had raced through his mind. One stuck louder than the rest, and Tony couldn't shake it if he tried. _I failed him, and it's my fault_. 

Peter lay unresponsive in a bed in the medbay. He'd been asleep for what felt like an eternity. _I failed him_. Tony checked his watch; it was coming up on fourteen hours since he'd brought Peter to the tower. He'd informed the medical staff about the boy's healing factor before they ushered him out.  _It's my fault_. 

_I failed him._

He was running on two hours of sleep, four coffees, and leftover adrenaline. 

_It's my fault._

Peter's broken body on the concrete. 

 _I failed him._  

Confusion. Panic. Fear. 

_It's my fault._

A nurse shook him out of his stupor. "Mr. Stark? Your, ah, intern, sir." 

"Hm?"

"Miss Parker. She has been stabilized for now, but we're keeping an eye on her. Dr. Windsor said you ought to be informed." She turned to leave. 

 _Shit. Did I really forget to tell them?_ "Wait!" Tony called after her. His muscles protested as he stood, but he ignored the twinges of pain. "Wait," he repeated. The nurse raised an eyebrow. "Can I see hi- her?" 

The nurse ignored his stumble over the pronoun. "I suppose so, if you really want to." Clearly, she did not think Tony Stark would care about a random kid off the street. She left again without another word. 

Tony autopiloted to Peter's room. _I remembered to mention his enhancements, but not his fucking_ name _? Have they been calling him the wrong name this whole time?_ He arrived quickly and the door opened without a sound. Tony made a mental note to thank FRIDAY, took one steadying breath, and stepped through the door. 

The room, of course, was identical to every other room in the bay. A computer sat atop a cabinet at the side of the bed. The curtains were drawn over the window and the lights were on low. Two chairs sat near the foot of the bed. In fact, the only unique things about this room were its two occupants.

"Stark. I knew you'd show up." 

Now, Tony normally had the self-control to ignore people he disliked. But he was exhausted, had spent hours fearing for Peter's life, and had only the energy to fall into the chair opposite May Parker. 

"It's my tower, Mrs. Parker. I can go wherever I want. How did you get here?" 

"Oh, I got a very interesting phone call from one of your employees, telling me my _nephew_ was here, and _he_ was seriously injured," she mocked. "Well, I made sure to put a stop to that as soon as I got here. What are you doing here, again?"

"He was hurt. He's my most valuable intern. Do the math."

"Stop bullshitting me, Stark."

"Mrs. Parker." Tony sighed. "I really don't want to fight with you. I'm as concerned for Peter as you are." He hoped she would ignore the use of his correct name.

She noticed. "Listen. Because of you, my niece - and mark my words, _she_ is my _niece_ \- she could have died last night. I've lost enough family already."

"I had nothing to do with last night's events, May. In fact, I had the honor of tracking the suit and rescuing him. From himself. There was nothing I could have done to stop him, short of locking him inside the tower. I think-" 

May cut him off. "No. You know what I think?" She rose to her full height. "I think, Stark, that it's your fault she's such a - a freak. In fact, if you hadn't encouraged her insanity, I would still have a husband. It's her fault he died, but it's got your fingerprints all over it!" 

"Excuse me?" Tony bristled. 

May leaned forward, placing an accusing hand on the arm of Tony's chair. "You. Heard. Me." 

"Mr. Stark?"

Both adults froze in place. 

"S'that you? I can't see real good in the dark."

"Pete?" asked Tony. "Yeah, I'm... I'm right here."

"I heard fighting. May isn't here, is she? Tell me she's not here." 

They exchanged looks. "She's sitting next to me, kid." 

"Oh, god," said Peter, before burying his face in a pillow. "I'm not here!" 

"Kate, I'm worried about you," May said with thinly veiled anger. "Take the pillow off your face and we'll talk, okay?" 

Peter said nothing. The silence was broken only by his oxygen monitor, which started beeping angrily. "Stupid machine," Peter complained, without the pillow. 

"You don't mean that," FRIDAY said, hurt. 

May looked as if she wanted to glare the room into nonexistence. "This," she started, "is exactly the kind of shit I mean. Your entire life is automated, and fancy, and you just act like you're so much better than the rest of us, and -"

"Don't." Peter's voice was quiet, but firm. "Don't start attacking Mr. Stark like that." 

"Katherine. This does not concern you."

"Yes, it does. I heard what you were saying about me earlier. You called me a freak. I knew you would say that. And I knew you blamed me for Ben, too. If you hadn't, I wouldn't have panicked like I did." 

"Katherine Elizabeth, I swear to God, you watch your mouth..."

"Or what? You'll kick me out?" Peter struggled to sit himself up in his bed. "Like that worked last time. I'm not afraid of you anymore, Aunt May."

"Afraid of me? I have been nothing but generous to you, you know. I didn't have to take you in after your parents died. I really didn't. If I had known what you'd turn yourself into, I probably wouldn't have," she spat. 

"May." Tony stood between Peter's bed and May's blind rage. "I can and will have you removed. You might be his legal guardian, but it wouldn't be hard to prove what you've said to him."

"And you!" May rounded on Tony, ready to start another rant, but Peter interrupted her again. 

"May!" he shouted, then winced at the effort. "I'm tired of arguing. I want to go back to sleep. Go home. Please."

"I am not leaving until I get my niece back." 

"You're leaving now," Peter said with more force than he realized he was capable of. 

"FRIDAY, a little help here?" Tony asked. 

"Certainly boss," she replied smoothly. He raised an arm as his gauntlet formed around it. "Always happy to help Peter."

"You're insane!" May screeched. "I'll have you arrested. I'll call the police on every last person in this damned building if I have to!" 

"You will either leave out that door, or out the window. You've done quite enough here." Tony leveled the repulsor at May's eye level. "Go." 

There's not much you can do when a fully charged repulsor is staring you in the face, except do what you are told. May turned and strode out the open door, muttering curses the entire way out. 

Tony relaxed as the gauntlet retreated back into its casing. He turned around to see Peter slumped against the side of the bed. "Oh, shit." 

"S'okay, Mr. Stark," he mumbled. "That. Wow. That was cool. Also really tiring. I need another nap." 

"Sleep as long as you need to, kid. May won't be coming back for a long time." 

"Mr. Stark?" 

"Yeah?" 

"I'm sorry." 

"What for?" 

Peter sounded almost painfully apologetic. "You know. Freakin' out on you like that. I was all panicky and I don't think I was thinking straight. It was almost like... like my spider-sense was still going. Except I was thinking you were dangerous. I don't know." 

"Honestly, after that little display, nothing would surprise me." 

"Yeah. Me neither." Peter's breaths gradually evened out. He had fallen back into a deep sleep. 

Tony smiled. Hopefully, things would be back to normal soon. _I think I'll enjoy that_. 

"Boss?" FRIDAY said quietly. "You have a message from Miss Potts. I've forwarded it to your mobile, but it's urgent. She seemed very upset."

"Oh, no." 

3 new messages from: Pepper, Love of my Life, Better Half, Etc

What have you done this time? 

Legal just contacted me about someone called May Parker. Apparently you threatened her at gunpoint? 

Oh my god, Tony, call me asap. This is important

Tony groaned silently and opened the keypad. Pepper picked up almost instantly. 

"Tony?" 

"Hey, Pep. Listen, this is going to sound insane, but you're just going to have to hear me out.."

 

< THE END >


End file.
